Good Moon Rising
by allwritenow
Summary: Bella Swan is determined to have an educational and exceptional first year of college. She's going to succeed on both counts, if not in the ways she expected. College (but still supernatural) AU with unrepentant fluff, girls kissing girls, friendship, and no imprints.
1. Chapter 1

Her first night in her dorm room, Bella finds a tiny glowing star on her ceiling when she's too amped up to sleep, and knows instantly and with certainty that she wants more. But not stars, those are too prosaic. She goes looking for alternatives and mostly finds flowers and circles and other random shapes that are not right at all. Then she finds the flying pigs on a late night Amazon binge and grins. Perfect.

She's not a girl who believes in the impossible. She's a girl who knows the impossible is routinely and frequently achieved because it is a concept defined by finite and culturally influenced human minds and therefore is subject to radical change at a moment's notice.

Also they're hilarious and she looks forward to the expressions on the faces of anyone she deigns to allow into her bed at night.

Not that she plans on a lot of that. She's here to _learn_. And yes, learning about herself and her fellow students in interpersonal ways is also important, but she wants to save the potential drama and trauma of romantic entanglements until at least sophomore year, after she's got her feet under her.

Renee, of course, had talked endlessly about the cute boys she'd meet. And more hesitantly about cute girls, when Bella gently reminded her that she'd come out as bisexual at thirteen. Charlie was on her side though, school first. Or, school only, but Bella, as always, intends to find the balance between her parents.

Her first week is exhilarating and breakneck.

Bella hasn't declared a major yet—everything is too interesting to limit herself now, before she's even dipped her toes in, and her classes are a mixed bag so far. She decides she loves two of her four professors, tolerates one, and hates the last, one of those men who doesn't understand the entire concept of education and thinks telling students they probably won't pass his class is a mark of prestige instead of incompetence on his part.

She befriends Jessica, the girl in the room across from her, who is sharp and funny and self-conscious and far more organized than Bella could ever hope to be. They take over the cramped little common space on their floor with a TV that seems to only get _So You Think You Can Dance_ reruns and make schedules for homework and errands and fun activities from the overwhelming options offered by the various clubs and organizations on campus.

Their RA loves them already, their willingness to attend dorm activities and actually participate means she takes them under her wing and frequently offers them treats from her secret candy stash. On Friday night she invites them to an off campus party on the absolute promise of secrecy, and Bella and Jessica successfully dare each other into attending.

That night Bella has her first college kiss at her first college party during her first ever game of spin the bottle. It is not what she expected college parties to be. An off campus house rented by seniors and full of booze, sure. However the whimsical costume rules and a house full of gnome statues, gnome paintings, gnome silverware, gnome who even knows with a prize if you find them all was a surprise long before she discovered the nostalgic middle school game in the garage. She'd skipped that pre-teen experience, so riding the high of her first week of college done and the rum and coke keeping her cheeks pink, she decides why not.

The bottle loves her, lands on her at least every third spin, and by her fourth kiss she can't stop giggling. Then the shy girl next to her with lovely brown eyes kisses her deep and slow and Bella's giggles fade into a breathless almost moan.

When the kiss ends, she can suddenly hear the applause and wolf whistles filling the garage and the pink in her cheeks is no longer just from the booze. The other girl smiles, equally pink and tucks some of her hair behind her ear. "Hi, I'm Angela."

Bella laughs and offers her a dorky wave in lieu of an even dorkier handshake. "Bella. Nice to meet you."

After a moment of chatting, someone yells at her to spin and Bella decides to tap out, offering Angela at a hand as she stands up. The other girl takes it and Bella laces their fingers together as she heads for the kitchen. Her drink is empty and while she's not sure she wants more booze at this point, there are plenty of other options.

"Are you a freshman too?" she asks Angela, swinging around to face her once they reach the blessedly empty kitchen. Angela nods and Bella leans back against a counter, relinquishing the other girl's hand.

"You are a very good kisser," Bella tells her, and Angela blushes. "I have to practice more if I'm going to reach your level of making strangers swoon at spin the bottle."

Angela giggles, and then grins at her with unexpected boldness. "Well, spin the bottle isn't the only time I kiss people, if you ever want a practice partner."

Bella grins back, delighted and determined to ignore the nerves in her stomach as thoroughly as she's been ignoring them all night. She snags Angela's hand again and then leans forward, slow enough for Angela to pull away if she wants. She doesn't, apparently, and this kiss is as warm and intoxicating as the last and it's followed by another and another.

They startle apart when someone starts digging into the cooler next to their feet and Bella laughs helplessly, resting her forehead against Angela's shoulder. Okay, so she's failing miserably at avoiding non-platonic interpersonal contact, but this is exactly what she wants out of her college experience. Tipsy makeouts with lovely girls in a stranger's kitchen while the sounds of an apparently epic game of beer pong filter in from the dining room.

"Hey! You abandoned me!" Jessica says, from unexpectedly close, startling her again. Bella looks up to see her friend's mouth curved in a pout as she stares at Bella and Angela. "We were supposed to stick together."

Bella nods decisively, pulling away from Angela but not letting go of her hand. "You are right, I'm sorry." She looks between the two girls. "Want to go watch beer pong and root for the underdog?"

Angela smiles, shy again, but nods. Jessica nods, her smile a bit more grudging. "I'm rooting for a _winner_," she says, firmly, and Bella snorts.

"Whatever you want," she comments, grinning, and follows them out of the kitchen, snagging a can of coke out of the cooler as they pass it. Friday's not quite over, hasn't crossed the line to Saturday yet, but she's already confident in declaring this the best first week of college ever.


	2. Chapter 2

"Shit. Fuck. Of all the stupid, fucking, ugh!" Bella exclaims, kicking futilely at the wall underneath the card scanner. Of course she had to forget her student ID, and her cell phone, and lock herself out of her building at two in the morning. Jess is never going to let her live this down.

She hears a low, sharp laugh and spins around, her giant backpack held up defensively.

There's a brunette goddess laughing at her. Or, well, a tall, gorgeous girl with warm brown skin and long black hair who's watching her laughing dark eyes. "Impressive vocabulary, freshman," she says with a smirk and Bella glares at her.

"Seriously. You're going to mock me right now."

She laughs again. "Absolutely. I'm also going to let you in though, so maybe hold off on the glaring. Not nearly as impressive as the cursing."

Bella pouts a little, but her frustration is already fading into reluctant appreciation of the absurdity of the situation. She's not great at anger at the best of times, much less in the crisp air and rare silence of a college campus at 2 AM on a Tuesday when she hasn't slept in nearly 24 hours and there's a super hot girl giving her shit. And her glares do suck. She's tried to practice them in the mirror, it's not great. She's much better at the disappointed librarian sort of look.

"I bet yours are awesome," she offers, as the older girl swipes her card against the lock and opens the door.

She grins at Bella, white teeth bright in the light from the lobby. "I've been known to make grown men weep."

Bella laughs, euphoric exhaustion taking over. "I'm Bella. You are definitely cooler than me, but you should still be my friend. And also meet my best college friend, she is much better at glaring than me and making people cry is one of her many talents slash hobbies."

The other girl gives her a considering look, then nods, decisive. "Okay, Bella. Breakfast, 7 AM in the caf. Bring your friend."

Bella gapes, aghast at the idea of being awake and socializing in five hours, but sees the spark of challenge in the other girl's eyes and can't back down. Besides, despite her and Angela remaining no more than friends who occasionally make out at parties, Jessica's envy is palpable and she really does think she'll hit it off with this sharp, gorgeous girl. And maybe makeouts of her own will mellow Jess out a bit.

"Deal."

They part ways at the stairs and it's not until she's three floors up that Bella realizes she never got the other girl's name. She finds this very funny, and giggles the rest of the way to her room.

In the morning, as they walk toward the caf, Jessica is far less amused.

"You're introducing me to someone and you don't even know their name, Bella? Weak."

A low laugh sounds behind them and a tall, warm body inserts itself between her and Jessica, dropping an arm around each of their shoulders. "It is weak, you're right. I'm Leah by the way, I can see why Bella thought I'd like you."

Jess looks up at Leah appraisingly, none of the sharpness of her gaze diminishing despite the faint flush of pink across her cheekbones. "Hi Leah, I'm Jessica," she says, with a pointed glare at Bella. "It's nice to meet you."

Leah cackles and then drops the arm from Bella's shoulders, giving her a gentle shove away from her and Jessica. "Yeah, you're a good one. Come on, let's go take over the waffle station before the football team can while Bella claims a table."

"I do enjoy intimidating jocks," Jessica muses, allowing herself to be tugged away from Bella and very clearly ignoring Bella's smug grin at their obvious chemistry.

Bella gets a coffee and then snags the closest empty table to the waffle station. Leah could clearly intimidate anyone she wanted to, but watching teeny tiny Jessica stare down football players four times her size until they vacate her favorite bench on the quad is one of Bella's favorite college activities. It's like watching big dogs cowed by a chihuahua.

The implications for the forthcoming breakfast entertainment are almost worth the headache and mild nausea from exhaustion.

She doesn't have class on Wednesdays and usually doesn't leave her room until at least noon so she hopes that underneath her snarking, Jessica appreciates the sacrifice Bella is making in the name of wingwomanship.

Angela drops into the seat next to her with a plate of food and a glass of orange juice and smiles. "I didn't think you existed before 10 AM. Some sort of college cryptid."

Bella snorts and clinks her coffee mug against Angela's glass. "To a rare morning sighting of the mysterious Bella Swan." She shares a grin with the other girl, then tilts her head toward the waffle station. "I'm trying to set Jess up with this hot girl I met last night. This morning. That time before sleeping that was not nearly long enough ago."

"You're a good friend," Angela says, still grinning, then scrunches her nose. "Would it be weird to ask you for help with setting me up with someone else?"

"What else is a party makeout buddy for?" Bella exclaims, then laughs at the look on Angela's face. "Okay, yeah, maybe weird, but whatever. I am absolutely down to help snag the person of your dreams. Do you have a specific one in mind or do you want me to meet someone in the middle of the night and decide it's meant to be? Cause I'm batting 100 so far with that trick, but one is definitely not a solid sample size to prove my skills."

"Soc or stats?" Angela asks, clearly amused by her sleep-deprived ramblings.

"Soc. I do not math. Not until they make me and it's the last thing I have to do to graduate."

Angela nods. "Solid plan. To answer your question, yes, I have a specific one in mind." She stops, blushing a little and Bella props her hands under her chin, eyes sparkling.

"Oooh, tell me more. Who is this delightful person who has Angela Weber blushing over her orange juice?"

"How much matchmaking do you do on a regular basis, Bella?" Leah asks before Angela can answer, settling into a chair across the table from them with a plate full of waffles and bacon. "I don't feel special anymore."

"Oh I think you're plenty special," Jessica interjects, sitting down next to Leah with an equally large stack of waffles and the smile she only gets after she's made someone tear up a little. "When you got that guy to give you the bacon he'd waited twenty minutes for as an apology for mansplaining the waffle maker to you? Magic."

They grin at each other until Bella slaps a hand on the table, making everyone jump a little and stare at her. "Look at that chemistry. You are totally special, Leah, you revealed my natural talents at matchmaking." Leah snorts, but doesn't argue, and Bella turns back to the lovely girl next to her, full of fondness and caffeine. "Angela, we're going to get you your specific person and then no one's going to make me wake up before 10 ever again. Cryptid Bella for the win."


	3. Chapter 3

"So we can use google forms for the survey, and I bet our RA will let us send it out on the dorm mailing list so we shouldn't have any problem getting a large enough sample size," Bella says, checking off things on her mental to-do list. "We need to narrow down our questions though," she adds, looking over at the others.

Jessica is staring at her phone, frowning, but Bree, their group project partner from Sociology, is drooling as she stares across the quad and Bella realizes neither of them has heard a single word she's said in the past few minutes. Rolling her eyes, she lifts her hand to shade her face and turns to see what Bree is staring at. There's a group of boisterous boys playing frisbee, laughing and roughhousing on the grass. She doesn't have to guess which one has caught Bree's attention because her eyes are drawn to the same figure like a magnet.

Easily topping six feet, gorgeous brown skin glowing in the sunlight, broad grin and broader muscles. It's nothing she was looking for and the best thing she's ever seen. And then their eyes meet and his light up and he's bounding towards her and she can hardly hear Bree exclaiming in her ear over the rapid beating of her heart.

"You know _him_?!"

She can't answer, her face suddenly buried in Jacob's chest, inhaling the warm cotton scent of his shirt as he lifts her off her feet and spins her around. "Bells! I can't believe Charlie didn't tell me you enrolled here!"

She can't believe it either. Her dad is getting a very strongly worded email about this. And about his lack of details on how incredibly fucking hot her best friend had become since the days they were making mud pies together. The shock of that hotness, and the warmth of his body against hers, means it takes her a second to realize she's not hugging Jacob back and she quickly wraps her arms around his waist, squeezing as hard as she can. "It's so good to see you!"

He laughs, a joyful sound that vibrates through her, and then finally sets her back down, one large hand lingering on her waist. "This is going to be great! We've never been classmates before. What dorm are you in? I'm in Franklin Hall, sharing a room with this loser," he says, gesturing toward the boy behind him whose presence she hadn't even registered before now.

The boy, much shorter than Jacob, with even darker skin, offers her a little wave. "Hey, I'm Ben."

Bella waves back and turns her body—without moving from Jacob's side an inch—to include Jessica and Bree in the conversation. "Jessica and I are in Curie. We're the lucky ducks in our dorm who got singles, so we bonded through being hated by everyone else. And Bree got suckered into being our friend for a Soc project."

Jacob pulls her closer, his easy affection making her warm all over even without his body heat. "Someone hating Bella Swan? I refuse to believe it."

"She is weirdly hard to dislike," Jessica agrees, looking at the two of them with a knowing gaze that makes Bella flush. "And I'm very good at disliking people."

Jacob snorts, exchanging an amused glance with Bella, and his friend, Ben, chuckles. "Do you two know Angela Weber? Because either this school is just that small, or my chem lab partner knows another Bella and Jessica she calls the sugar and spice duo."

Jessica huffs at that description, but Bella lights up. _This_ is the Ben that Angela has a crush on. That is so convenient. She can prove her matchmaking skills and pretend setting them up is the reason she's going to spend every possible moment in Jacob's company from here on out.

"Of course we know Angela," she says out loud, clocking the way Ben ducks his head on his answering smile with delighted glee.

Bree lets out a forlorn sigh and Bella bites down on a grin at Jessica's judgmental side eye toward their classmate. Maybe she can even find some available eye candy for Bree while she's at it.

Lifting her head, still tucked into Jacob's side, she smiles up at him, wide and bright. "Movie night in our common room? It's on the fourth floor. We'll bring Angela and Bree and you and Ben can bring a friend?" She turns to Jessica. "You should text Leah, see if she wants to hang out."

"She will," Jessica says with easy confidence, only a hint of self-doubt in the wobble of her chin that Bella is pretty sure no one else notices. "But only if we watch horror movies. I can not sit through any more of your noir films, Bella. I want a psycho with a knife and ridiculous amounts of fake blood."

"I already like you, Spice," Jacob tells Jessica with a grin before nodding at Bella. "Yes, we are definitely in for movies. Gonna have to be after 8 though, rugby practice gets out at 7:30 and you do not want me to come over before showering."

"You really don't," Ben agrees with a sly quirk of his lips, shaking his head in amusement as Jacob flips him off. "And that's a yes from me too, as Jacob and I are not actually a we."

Jacob finally lets go of Bella and she resists the urge to immediately yank him back against her as he gloms onto Ben with an encompassing bear hug. "Forgive me, dear roommate, for speaking for you."

Ben is laughing helplessly, shoving at Jacob, and Jessica slips around Bree to link her arm through Bella's. "So, childhood best friend? Did you carve BJ into all the trees in Washington?"

Bree, close enough to hear, cackles at BJ and Bella glares at both of them, pretending she's not holding in a smile. "You're the children," she tells them, a mostly nonsensical response, and then flaps her hands to hush them both when the boys stop wrestling. "Okay! Curie, fourth floor common room at 8:00. We will bring movies and pillows, you bring snacks."

"See you then, Bells!" Jacob tells her, their eyes locking long enough for butterflies to take over her stomach, before he drags Ben back to the frisbee game on the quad. She stares after him for far longer than she's willing to admit, only stopping when Jessica pinches her side and pushes her toward the library.

"Moon later, study now. I refuse to be your maid of honor unless you have a college degree before the wedding."


End file.
